Beneath Virgo
by Navie Chance
Summary: Oneshot, end game SPOILERS. Jak and Torn have a heart to heart.


"Beneath Virgo" - a Jak II one-shot by Navie Chance  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or parts of Jak II. This game is (c) Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. Reproducing any parts of this story without the consent of the author is plagiarism. And that's not nice.  
  
Note: I'll admit it. I stole the comment about degreasing engines from the Matrix.  
  
Note2: Sorry, if you're looking for shonen-ai, this isn't the story you're looking for.  
  
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It was well past midnight by the time the last firework had fizzled out, leaving a trail of smoke hanging in the night sky. The moment the news had broken, South Town became the place to be. Citizens had rushed to their homes to gather up anything explosive to be used in the celebration, resulting in a four-hour fireworks show. The bay had been nearly as bright as day as people everywhere rejoiced, dancing and drinking. Bonfires littered the sidewalks, surrounded by bottles and remnants of cooked food. By now most of the city's massive population had returned to their homes for the night, save a few.  
  
Jak sat at the bar and shook his glass, listening to the ice jingle. The festivities had worn him out, not to mention the somewhat steady stream of drinks in his hand for the last few hours. The people of Haven City knew how to party, if anything else. He was a hero now, forever to be known as the savior of the city. At least no one had hoisted him on their shoulders or anything, like he had feared. That would have been a step too far.  
  
Kiera yawned from a booth in the corner, her head resting in her arms. Ashelin sat across from her, still very much awake, sipping a beer with surprising ladylike grace. Near the whack-a-metalhead game, Daxter and Tess sat on the floor, drunk as hell and shamelessly flirting. Or at least Daxter was flirting with Tess. It was hard to tell. Sig sat in a booth near the bar, his feet propped up on the table. Having the wastelander back was the only real reason Jak had felt like celebrating at all. The two exchanged glances, smiling slightly.  
  
"Baby, you got some pretty eyes, you know…?" Daxter's voice was thick as he curled himself coyly between Tess's breasts. Jak rolled his eyes, setting down his glass.  
  
"Hey, Jak, I'd appreciate if you'd get your pet off my agent. I wouldn't want her getting a rash or something."  
  
Jak snorted as Torn leaned against the bar, propping himself up on his elbows.  
  
"Don't worry," Jak said. "He should be out cold pretty soon. He can't stomach more than a few."  
  
"For his sake, I hope you're right."  
  
Besides a bit of music from the jukebox and the intoxicated ottsel's gibbering, it was strangely quiet. For the first time in years, the entire city was calm. The Krimson Guard had been temporarily relieved of their duties, and every last one of the Baron's sputtering speaker posts had been torn down and unceremoniously burned while the citizens danced around the fires like natives. Yeah, it was one hell of a party.  
  
"Hey, Jak," Torn said quietly, lifting himself from the bar. "Come with me."  
  
Jak blinked. "Huh? Where?"  
  
"Just follow me, okay?"  
  
No one except Ashelin noticed as the two men exited through a back door of the bar. She smiled softly. "Looks like Torn's finally warmed up to Jak..."  
  
Torn led the way up a painfully narrow flight of rickety stairs. Using his shoulder as leverage, Torn pushed open a door at the top and climbed out, turning to help Jak up.  
  
"It's been years," Torn said, sitting down on the roof, "Since the city's been this quiet. I'd figure we could enjoy it for a bit."  
  
Jak shrugged and settled down next to the former rebel, stretching his arms over his head. He would normally be questioning the other man's friendliness, but the alcohol in his system told him not care. Torn searched his many pockets and pulled out a flask, unscrewed the cap and took a drink. Exhaling loudly, he offered it to Jak.  
  
"Here. This will either wake you up or shut you down."  
  
Being too tired to refuse, Jak accepted and took a swig. The liquid instantly seared his tongue, causing him to sputter and cough. "What is this crap?" he wheezed.  
  
Torn grinned. "Heh. My own special brew."  
  
Once the burning in his throat subsided, Jak took another, much smaller, sip. "Tastes like a failed attempt at embalming fluid."  
  
"Didn't say I made it for taste."  
  
"Didn't think you'd be the type that would drink to get drunk."  
  
Torn took back the flask. "Made it 'cause I hate tequila, and around here that's the best you can get, unless you're rich." He took a sip and sighed. "Maybe I should give some to Kiera. She could probably use it to degrease and engine or something."  
  
"Probably."  
  
Jak leaned back against the slant of the Naughty Ottsel's roof and stared upward. Only a few stars could be seen over the light from the city. He thought of Sandover, and all the nights spent lying on the beach watching the stars. For a moment he forgot how much his stomach growled and his limbs ached. Below them, the bar door opened, and Daxter could be heard shouting random obscenities. Torn shook his head.  
  
"You know, I've been meaning to ask," he said, putting his flask away. "How did you and that rat become friends in the first place?"  
  
Jak laughed. "He wasn't always a rat, you know. I mean, ottsel."  
  
Torn rubbed his eyes, trying to tune out the drunken screaming from the street. "What was he, then?"  
  
"Human," Jak said simply. "We became friends when I was almost too young to remember."  
  
"But I don't get it," Torn replied. "You two are total opposites. Why become friends?"  
  
Jak stopped to think for a moment. "Because... we were both alone."  
  
Torn turned and studied Jak's face carefully, the tattoos on his forehead creasing. Jak was staring intently at the palms of his hands. He looked so sad sitting there, and for a moment, so young.  
  
"You know that I was that kid, right? Well," Jak continued, "I was raised by Samos and my 'uncle,' an old mapmaker who never had kids of his own. Daxter... he was born in Rock Village. His parents were killed by Lurkers when he was five. No one there wanted an orphan, so Samos took him in. He had lost his family, and I never knew mine, so..."  
  
A cool breeze blew across the roof, rustling Jak's hair. In the streets below, Daxter had gone silent, his ranting replaced by the crackling of bonfires and water as it splashed against the levies. Jak took a breath.  
  
"It's my fault he's like that now," he nearly whispered. "We went somewhere we weren't supposed to... and Daxter ended up in a Dark Eco pool. It didn't kill him, but spit him out looking like that."  
  
"...I see."  
  
A long silence followed. Torn closed his eyes, breathing silently.  
  
"...Your turn," Jak said suddenly.  
  
Torn turned and raised an eyebrow. "My turn for what?"  
  
"Tell me about you," Jak explained, shifting his weight. "About your past."  
  
Closing his eyes again, Torn had to laugh a little. He should have seen that coming.  
  
"Well," he began, "I was born here. My dad was an engineer, but he never made much money. I deicded I wanted to join the Krimson Guard about twelve years ago, right after the last big Metal Head attack."  
  
"Last attack...?" Jak's eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"Yeah." Torn searched for his flask again. "It was bad. They wiped out about a sixth of the population before the KG got 'em. They say that's when Praxis went mad. His wife was killed in the attack, and nothing was the same after she was gone."  
  
Jak snorted. "So he wasn't always a megalomaniac?"  
  
"Hardly. When I was a kid, he seemed like a hero to me. He was just and fair, and all that crap. By the time I realized he wasn't so great, I was already a junior captain in the KG." Torn took a long drink of his mystery fluid. "I would have been killed for quitting at that point."  
  
"So when did you finally get out?"  
  
"As soon as I figured out how to get out alive," Torn replied. "I made some friends on the street, and they showed me some safe routes. I hid in the bazzar and the slums for about two months before I found the Shadow. I was about fifty pounds lighter by then, too," he added with a chuckle. "Living off of scraps from the market is a great way to lose weight."  
  
"I'll keep that in mind," Jak laughed. He decided not to ask about Ashelin or how she and Torn knew each other. It really was none of his business, especially when it came to a slightly drunk Torn.  
  
The two leaned back, partly dosing off. It was far too late at night to speculate as to what the future might hold, as dragging up the past had already used up a great amount of their energy. Jak squinted his eyes, desperately searching the sky for anything other than the two brightest stars. After several minutes, he thrust his hand upward.  
  
"There," he said. "Virgo. I can see Virgo."  
  
Torn opened his eyes and blinked. "Where? How can you see it in this light? You sure that's not the liquor talkin'?"  
  
"Keep looking." Jak kept his hand pointed at the sky. After a long while, Torn's eyes widened.  
  
"I see it," Torn breathed. "I'll be damned. I can see stars in the city. It's been a while."  
  
"I'll take this as a good sign," Jak smiled, leaning back with his arms folded behind his head.  
  
Torn kept his eyes on the night sky, marveling at the tiny stars glittering faintly. "Yeah," he said. "Me too."  
  
-end-  
  
Author's notes: I'm using the term "human" pretty loosely here. I picked Virgo because it can be seen in the southern night sky, and leaning on the roof of the bar in South Town is, well, facing south ^_^;; I wanted to put something about Ashelin's mom in there, since they don't say a word about her in the game, and Ashelin had to come from somewhere! FYI, I figured out that Jak is probably an Aries and Torn is most likely a Scorpio.  
  
...I know, I'm a total dork. 


End file.
